CONCORDE may be history but that does not mean the end of supersonic passenger flights. Around the world various agencies are working on Mach 2 plus projects and last week news came from Japan that their arrow shaped unmanned development aircraft is expected to be launched at the at Australia”s Woomera test range sometime after 15 September. Three years back the original prototype crashed on test. Japan, whose aerospace industry has always taken a backseat to other industrial enterprises, is keen to be seen as the leader of what is an international project. The planned aircraft is a 300-seater which could fly Tokyo ” Los Angeles in just four hours. 2020 is the target date for airline introduction.
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